erstanding and
sympathy. And if my truthful story about seven of the thousands who were
hanged will help toward destroying at least one of the barriers which
separate one nation from another, one human being from another, one soul
from another soul, I shall consider myself happy.

Respectfully yours,

LEONID ANDREYEV.

THE SEVEN WHO WERE HANGED

CHAPTER I AT ONE O'CLOCK, YOUR EXCELLENCY!

As the Minister was a very stout man, inclined to apoplexy, they
feared to arouse in him any dangerous excitement, and it was with every
possible precaution that they informed him that a very serious attempt
upon his life had been planned. When they saw that he received the news
calmly, even with a smile, they gave him, also, the details. The attempt
was to be made on the following day at the time that he was to start
out with his official report; several men, terrorists, plans had already
been betrayed by a provocateur, and who were now under the vigilant
surveillance of detectives, were to meet at one o'clock in the afternoon
in front of his house, and, armed with bombs and revolvers, were to wait
till he came out. There the terrorists were to be trapped.

"Wait!" muttered the Minister, perplexed. "How did they know that I was
to leave the house at one o'clock in the afternoon with my report, when
I myself learned of it only the day before yesterday?"

The Chief of the Guards stretched out his arms with a shrug.

"Exactly at one o'clock in the afternoon, your Excellency," he said.

Half surprised, half commending the work of the police, who had managed
everything skilfully, the Minister shook his head, a morose smile upon
his thick, dark lips, and still smiling obediently, and not desiring to
interfere with the plans of the police, he hastily made ready, and went
out to pass the night in some one else's hospitable palace. His wife
and his two children were also removed from the dangerous house, before
which the bomb-throwers were to gather upon the following day.

While the lights were burning in the palace, and courteous, familiar
faces were bowing to him, smiling and expressing their concern, the
dignitary experienced a sensation of pleasant excitement--he felt as
if he had already received, or was soon to receive, some great
and unexpected reward. But the people went away, the lights were
extinguished, and through the mirrors, the lace-like and fantastic
reflection of the electric lamps on the street, qu